Antifriction bearing



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. GEIGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 WILLIAM'H. MINER,0F CHAZY, NEW YORK.

ANTIFRICTION BEARING.

Application filed May 7, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM A. Gnronn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Antifriction Bearings,of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description,reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification.

This invention relates to improvements in anti-friction bearings.

The object of the invention is to provide a self-centering antifrictionbearing especially adapted for use as aside bearing on railway cars, thebearing being so formed that it is preferably attached to the under sideof a body bolster or like member.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is avertical, sectional view taken lengthwise of a car through the body andtruck bolsters. thereof and illustrating my improvements in connectiontherewith. Figure 2 is a vertical, sectional view taken lengthwise of.the bolsters and corresponding substantially to the line 2-2 ofFigure 1. Figure 3 is a top plan view of the bearing illustrated inFigure 1, parts being broken away in order to accommodate the figureonthe sheet. And Figure 4 is a detail, sectional view illustrating analter nate method of securing the wear plate and filler block rigidlytogether,,as hereinafter described. 1

Referring first to the construction illustrated in Figures 1 to 3inclusive, 1O denotes the upper bearing surface of a truck bolster and11 the under side of an opposed body bolster. The improved bearing isadapted to be attached to the body bolster and, as shown, said bearcomprises, broadly, a retaining member or housing A; an anti-frictionelement roper B; a wear plate C and a filler block The retaining memberA, as shown, is

re'ferably in the form of a malleable casting having an upper flatsurface and laterally extended erforated flanges 12 by which it isadapted? to be secured to the body bolster as by rivets 13. Said memberA is provided also with downwardly extending vertical side flanges14-14, horizontal walls l515 and vertical end flanges 16-l6. The sidewalls 14, on their inner faces, are provided with grooves, eachgroove-having a vertical Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

Serial No. 467,522.

entrance 1'7 merging into a horizontally extending portion 18, for thepurpose hereinafter described. It will be noted that the entrance 17 ofeach groove is offset from the center as clearly shown in Figure 1.

The anti-friction element B is in the form of a rocker of the gravitytype having an upper cylindrical bearing surface 19 and a lowercylindrical bearing surface 20, said surfaces being concentric but theupper surface being struck on a shorter radius than the lower surface.Flat sides 21-21 are formed on the rocker, the same being ar rangedsubstantially tangential to the bearing surface 19. Said flat surfaces21 are adapted to engage with. the under faces of the horizontal walls15 of the member A to limit the rolling movements of the rocker B, asshown by the dotted position B of the rocker in Figure 1. At its ends,the rocker B is provided with laterally extended cylindrical studs 22 22in axial alinement with the common center or axis of the two bearingsurfaces 19 and 20, Said lugs 22, which function as journals for therocker B during the return of the latter to normal position after eachactuation, extend within said grooves and are entered therein firstvertically through the entrance portion 17 of the grooves and thenslipped over horizontally to a position in the center of the member A; ya

In the top portion thereof, the member A is cut out with a substantiallyrectangular openingas indicated at 23. Below the opening 28, the memberA is provided with a widened recess as indicated at 24, said recess 24being open at its ends as indicated at 24 24 in Figure 2. The wear plateC, which may be of any suitable hardened material, is of generallyrectangular form and is adapted to be slipped into position through theopenings 24 in a direction transverse of the member A; The plate C iscentrally perforated with two openings, as shown, at 2525 which comeinthe center of the member A when the plate C is in proper position. v

The insert or filler blockv D, preferably in the form of a malleablecasting, occupies the rectangular opening 23 and is formed with a pairof depending cylindrical lugs 2727, each having a rounded lower end asindicated at 28, said lugs 27 extending through the openings 25 in theplate C and having the rounded ends 28 thereof depend ing below saidplate C. Said depending ends 28 operate in the nature of teeth inco-operation with corresponding recesses 29-29 provided in the bearingsurface 19 of the rocker B. With this construction, itis evident thatthe rocker B can never ass wholly out of engagement from both ugs 27 atthe same time and consequently the rocker B is prevented from bodilyshifting with respect to the retaining member A and positive means areprovided for maintaining the element B in central position when freefrom pressure.

The plate C and insert block D are held rigidly together by any suitablemeans such as the rivets 3Q30 which are countersunk at both ends to lieflush with the corresponding outer surfaces of the block D and plate C.V

In assembling the hearing as shown, the rocker B is introduced withinthe member A as hereinbefore described. The plate C is then'insertedtransversely of the member A and then the block D is applied verticallythrough the top of the member A. It is obvious that the plate G cannotshiftin any direction in a horizontal plane after the block D is engagedtherewith. By rigidly uniting the block D and plates C as by the rivets30, it then becomes impossible for the block D to be withdrawnvertically or the plate C to fall downwardly and the plate C isprevented from 'upwa'rd movement by the overhangingshoulders 31--31 inthe, member A. After the introduction of'the block D with itsprojecting'lugs 27 in engagement with the rocker B, the latter cannot bedisassembled from'the retaining member A for the reason that the rockerB must always be in engagement with 'at'least one of the lugs 27 andhence the studs 22 can never thereafter reach a position in ver ticalalinement with the entrance opening 17 of the guide gr'ooves c e VIn'a'ctual p'ractice', the diameters of the lugs 22 will be madeslightly less' than the vertical height of the horizontally extendingportions 18 'of the grooves in the member A and a slight clearancenormally left between'the upper bearing surface 19 and the under faceofthe bearing plate C. In operation, when pressure is applied to therocker element B, it will have its upper surface engaged with thebearing plate C and the rocker will roll to either side of normalpositionas for instance to the position B shown in Figure '1. Duringthis rolling movement of the rockerB, it is evident that the studs 22will travel in a straight line so long as the rolling action remains onthe cylindrical surface 19. Upon removal of the pressurefrom the rockerB, the latter is adapted to-fall slightly so that'the load is sustainedby the studs 22 and, as the rocker swings under the influence of gravityaround said studs 22 as centers, the rocker will beautomaticallyreturned to its normal central position by reason of the interengagementof the lugs 27 and rocker B.

ith the arrangement shown, the hearing may bemanufactured atcomparatively small expense and, when once properly assembled, may beshipped without danger of loss of parts or tampering therewith exceptthe parts are mutilated or destroyed. The rocker is self-centering underthe influence of gravity and without the aid of any springs and may bedesigned to provide any necessary travel within the limits required inrailroad practice. By making the block D of a thickness such as tofullyvoccupy the space between the top face of the plate- C and theunder face of the body bolster 11, the plate C is relieved of bendingstresses and is subject only to compression stresses as is also theblock D. 7

Referring to the construction illustrated in Figure 1, I have shown adifferent method of securing the filler block D with .1

the wear or bearing plate 0. This method consists 111 providing avertlcal opening 130 y in the block D and an inclined'opening 131 in theplate C and then driving a friction pin 32 within said openings, the pin32being initially straight so that, asit is driven home, it is distortedin passing into the opening 131 and will remain in place so as toprevent either vertical separationof the members C and D or lateralshifting of one with respect to the other.- It will also be appreciatedby those skilled in the art that the two openings 130 and'131'may bemade both straight and an initially deformed pin driven into them withthe samecresult; 7

. I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferredmannerof carrying out the invention, but the-sameis merely illustrativeand I contemplate all I changes-and modifications that come withinthefscopeof the claims appendedhereto I claim:

1. In an antifrietion bearingbf the 'character described, thecombination'with a re taining member adapted to be secured to the underside of a body bolster or the like; of an anti friction gravityselfcentering rocker element havingsupporting-studs pro 'ecting from theends thereof, the said memer having grooves within which said studsextend and provide supporting ledges for the studs; of a separatebearing plate-inserted within said member above the rocker and onwhichthe rocker is adapted to -roll;;

a filler block within said memberabove said plate, said fillerblockhaving lugs project ing. through said plate and cooperatingiwithcorresponding recesses in said rocker to maintain the proper relation ofthe rocker with respect to said member; and means for said rocker havinga recess cooperab rigidly securing said block and plate to gether.

2. In an anti-friction bearing of the character described, thecombination with a retaining member adapted to be secured to the underside of a body bolster or the like, said retaining member having anopening in the top thereof and transversely extending openings, saidmember having also depending side walls formed on the inner sidesthereof with supporting horizontally extending ledges; of a rocker havinsupportin studs extending from the en s thereof, said studs beingsupported on said ledges; a bearing plate insertible through saidtransversely extendin openings above said rocker and forming 516 upperbearing for the latter, said plate having a vertical openingtherethrough, a filler block insertible vertically through said openingin the top of said member to substantially occupy said opening, saidblock having a lug depending from the bottom thereof and extendingthrough said opening in the bearin plate,

%e with said depending lug; and means for rigidly securing said fillerblock and bearing plate together.

3. In an anti-friction bearing of the character described, thecombination with a retaining member adapted to be secured to the underside of a body bolster or the like, said retaining member having anopening in the top thereof and depending side walls, each of said sidewalls being provided on the inner side thereof with a groove having avertical entrance offset from the center of the retaining member and ahorizontally extending section, the latter providing horizontallyextending supporting ledges; of a gravity self-centering rocker havingupper and lower concentric surfaces struck on different radii, the uppersurface corresponding to the shorter radius, said rocker havingsupporting studs extended from the ends thereof in axial alinement withthe common center of said bearing surfaces, said lugs projecting withinsaid grooves and insertible in the latter through the entrance openingsthereof, said lugs supporting the rocker from said horizontal ledgeswhen the rocker is in operative position; a bearing plate insertibletransversely of said member above the rocker and with which the uppersurface thereof is adapted to engage, said plate being provided withvertica ly extending openings; a filler block insertible verticallywithin the opening in the top of said retaining member, said blockhaving depending centering lugs extending through said openings in thebearing plate and below the latter, said rocker having recessescooperating with said lugs; and means for rigidly uniting said fillerblock and the bearing plate.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 5th day of May, 1921.

WILLIAM A. GEIGER.

Witnesses:

CARRIE GAILING, ANN BAKER.

